Just a few weeks after its official worldwide public debut at the recent Geneva Auto Show, the new 2012 Jaguar XKR-S made its North American debut at the New York Auto Show. Unlike its more civilized kin, such as the XK grand tourer and the sportier XKR, the new XKR-S is all about performance and getting the job done at the track.

Under the hood, the XKR-S comes equipped with the latest iteration of the AJ-V8 all-aluminum engine, complete with direct injection, variable cam timing, a twin Roots-type vortex supercharger and two intercoolers. Maximum output from the powerplant is 550 hp and 502 lb.-ft. of torque. According to Jaguar engineers, the new high-performance British cat can leap from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.2 sec. and to 100 mph in 8.8 sec. With an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.34, the XKR-S can reach a top speed of 186 mph.

In addition to having faster straight-line performance, the XKR-S received chassis upgrades that allow it to be even more nimble on the track. Building on an already lightweight and stiff all-aluminum chassis with double wishbone suspension, Jaguar has fit the car with new steering knuckles, 28 percent stiffer springs, and a reprogrammed active damping and differential that are tuned to give the car more precise turn-in and better traction when exiting corners aggressively.

The 2012 Jaguar XKR-S keeps the same flowing profile as the standard XK but adds a few race-inspired details to let onlookers know this is one special feline. Up front, slimmer headlights, vertical vents, special hood and carbon-fiber splitter give the car a low and wide race car stance. This is also helped by the car's 10 mm lower ride height. Around the back, to maintain the front and rear balance at higher speeds, a carbon-fiber rear wing and an under-bumper rear diffuser are on duty.

There are five exterior colors: French racing blue, Italian racing red, white and gun metal gray. Notably missing from the list is British Racing Green.

Pricing for the XKR-S in the U.S. starts at $132,000. The car will begin to be produced this summer and should arrive in the dealers in the fall. We're eager to see how this hot new Jaguar XK compares to the likes of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the Maserati GranTurismo and Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG.